How to grow an orange tree. Orange tree, home care, photo

There are many lovers of exotic fruits. By the way, it is already difficult to call an orange as such, so freely you can buy it in the vastness of the country. But after all, it is possible to grow an orange tree and provide care for it at home. To do this, it is not necessary to purchase seed, it is enough to use the seeds from the fruit you have eaten. How to care for an orange and form a healthy indoor plant a year after planting, read below.

In order to ensure the cultivation of orange at home, you must first take care of a good fruit-bearing land. Purchase flower potting mix. If desired, you can simply bring the land with suburban area. But remember: in this case, it is recommended to add to it good fertilizer. To begin with, it is better to use humus.

Another significant point: be sure to treat the soil with boiling water before using it directly. Orange tree at home, it will take root well if you correctly plant or germinate it from grain, and also provide everything the necessary conditions content. These include lighting, irrigation features, as well as temperature regime. Let's take a closer look at these points.

Lighting

Caring for an orange tree will be complete if you choose the right light intensity for it and, in general, put it in the right place. A homemade orange cannot do without sunlight. The natural environment for this plant is the tropics, so moisture and lighting are the most important points in the process of creating a favorable microclimate for you.

Do not be afraid to put a flower pot with a tree near the window: direct sunlight is exactly what he needs. But this is if we are talking about a mature representative of room greens. The young specimen is too susceptible to open and too bright light. Try to accustom him to these conditions gradually.

As you can see, age is very important. To begin with, it is better to put the plant in partial shade, and then put the flower pot in a brightly lit place for a while. Or use some kind of cover if you don't want to move the flowerpot back and forth.

Temperature

Anyone can grow an orange at home. But for this, create favorable conditions for development. Great value has a temperature setting. The optimal indicators for a room orange are 27–28 degrees. fructifying citrus should not be left in a draft. Otherwise, it may lose aesthetic appearance, will become frail, as well as unnecessarily painful. At the same time, do not forget about the need to ventilate the room in which the tree grows.

Humidity

orange Blooming tree will develop fully, provided that the soil does not dry out. Of course, it is undesirable to overfill the plant with water, but the earthen ball should not be covered with a dry crust. Another important point: in winter period the temperature regime is approximately 10–18 degrees, so the intensity and frequency of irrigation are reduced. The optimal approach is to irrigate the substrate once a week or no more than twice a month.

Fertilizers and watering

The conditions for watering and spraying in summer are somewhat different from winter ones. Insofar as room temperature in the apartment will be much higher, water indoor orange will also have to be repeated. In addition, you need to spray the plant more often. Another thing in winter: it is generally not recommended to spray the foliage, otherwise it will begin to rot.

It is necessary to feed an orange, and this is done about once every two weeks. As a nutrient mixture, use a complex fertilizer for citrus fruits. But this is about spring-summer period when the plant is actively growing vegetative mass. From the beginning of October, feeding should be completely stopped, because the orange is in a state of suspended animation.

Features of grafting

How many years an orange lives at home is a question that interests many. Provided that you can properly care for it, the life of the plant will be delayed by about 75 years. But this requires a lot of effort. Grafting is another important part of citrus care. This process is carried out in two possible ways:

• classic (an ordinary seedling is taken as a stock);
• budding (the bud of the plant must be implanted into the wood).

How to make a homemade orange bear fruit, they know firsthand experienced growers. In this case, you can not do without vaccination.

tree pruning

You can provide full care for an orange tree if you study each of the stages. A properly pruned plant is a guarantee successful cultivation in room conditions. This procedure should be carried out in the spring, before the plant begins to actively grow. Be sure to take the time to cut the orange, otherwise it will not bloom in time and may not form fruits.

Protection against diseases and pests

Video "Care for indoor orange"

From this video you will learn how to water, plant and care for an orange tree in the house.

Botanical name: orange tree (Citrus sinensis) - species fruit trees belonging to the genus citrus of the subfamily of the orange family of the rue family. Long grown in cultivation, the fruits of the tree, oranges, are widely known and considered one of the healthiest and most delicious fruits.

Origin of the orange: China.

Lighting: photophilous.

The soil: light, loose, with a neutral reaction

Watering: abundant during growth, limited during dormancy.

Maximum tree height: up to 12 m

Average lifespan of a tree: 75 years old.

Landing: propagated by cuttings, seeds, grafting.

Description of the orange

orange is cultivated plant and is not found in the wild. This is a hybrid form obtained in antiquity by crossing citrus species such as mandarin (Citrus reticulata) and pomelo (Citrus maxima)

The orange tree (see photo below) is evergreen, with a compact dense crown, there are rather large thorns or spines on the branches and young shoots. Sizes strongly depend on the variety, tall forms can reach 12 m, grafted on dwarf rootstocks - 4-6 m, and grown as houseplants do not exceed 2-2.5 m. There are even more compact varieties created specifically for indoors and having a height of only 60-80 cm.

The root system of an orange is superficial, has a number of features that must be taken into account when cultivating it. So, unlike other fruit trees, there are no root hairs on the roots of an orange, through which moisture and nutrients are usually absorbed, instead of them, at the tips of the roots, there are sheaths with colonies of soil fungi that exist in symbiosis with the plant.

Mushrooms receive from it carbohydrates and amino acids, other substances necessary for their vital activity, and in return they transfer water and mineral compounds, primarily phosphorus, into a form accessible to the tree for assimilation.

Such a community, called mycorrhiza, helps to increase crop yields, growing mycelium increases the absorbing surface of the roots, but, on the other hand, makes the host plant more vulnerable, since mycorrhiza does not tolerate lack of water, low soil temperature, and especially suffers when roots are exposed.

In this regard, trees when grown in open field often require artificial irrigation and do not tolerate transplants with an open root system very well.

Orange leaves in the photo with a description

Orange leaves are dark green, leathery, pointed oval in shape, their size is approximately 10x15 cm. They have a solid wavy or serrated edge and petioles with small winged appendages, connected to the petioles through a fairly wide intermediate articulation. Inside the leaf plates there are glands filled with aromatic oil, the smell of which is similar to the smell of orange flowers. The life span of one leaf is about 2 years. Most of them (about 25%) fall during the dormant period, from February to March, another quarter - throughout the year. A healthy tree only loses old leaves.

TO biological features orange refers to the property of the leaves different ages perform different functions. The young are involved in photosynthesis, that is, the plant breathes with them, while the old serve to accumulate nutrients necessary for the growth of branches, flowering and fruit ripening. Excessive loss of old leaves under adverse external conditions leads to a delay in the development of the tree, the absence or weakening of flowering and fruit set.

Orange flowers with a description and photo

The orange flower is bisexual, large, up to 5 cm in diameter, with five white, rarely reddish, elongated-ovate petals. In the center of a little opening perianth, a long single pistil rises, surrounded by many yellow stamens. Formed in the axils of the leaves on the shoots of the current year, usually growing downward or horizontally.

Orange flowers (see photo below) are usually collected in brushes of 6 pieces, less often solitary, have an intense aroma. Flower buds are laid in March-early April, and for a long time, sometimes up to a month, are in the bud stage.

The opening of the petals and the setting of fruits occurs at a strictly defined temperature, about 16-18 ° C, at a higher or lower temperature background, the buds fall off. A blossoming flower lives no more than 2-3 days. There are varieties without pistils, they do not need pollination and produce fruits without seeds.

The fruits of the orange tree

The fruit of the plant is round or broadly oval in shape, has a structure characteristic only of representatives of the orange subfamily, and is called hesperidium or orange. It is multi-celled, multi-seeded or seedless, similar in structure to a berry. The outer part, or pericarp, is a soft and thick skin up to 5 mm thick, smooth or slightly rough, covered with peel, from below it there is a thin white layer called albedo. The peel of an orange, depending on the variety and degree of maturity, makes up from 17 to 42% of the weight of the fruit, its color varies from green and light yellow to orange and reddish-orange. The taste is usually bitter, the texture is loose or dense elastic, and large translucent glands are filled essential oil, the percentage of which ranges from 1.2% to 2.2%.

The inner part of the fruit, or intercarp, consists of nests or lobules (9-13 pieces) that separate from each other, covered with films of various thicknesses and densities and filled with large juicy pulp cells in the form of nipple sacs, sweet, sweet-sour or bitter-sour taste. In most varieties, numerous seeds are immersed in the pulp, white in section, usually multi-embryonic. There are also seedless forms of the plant, in which the fruits are formed parthenocarpically, without pollination, and there are no seeds.

How do orange seeds ripen?

The tree is characterized by remontance, or the ability to repeatedly bloom and bear fruit during one season, therefore, as can be seen in the photo, a blooming orange can be simultaneously decorated not only with buds, but also with fruits. varying degrees maturity. The latter ripen, depending on the variety, for 8-9 months, and with a lack of lighting and longer, in their mature form they can remain on the branches for a long time, and when grown in open ground, they turn green again by spring, and then turn yellow again by autumn. . The seeds of oranges ripening for two years are of better quality, but the taste and nutritional properties of such fruits due to the low content of biologically active substances get worse.

Orange belongs to long-lived trees, and although it grows quickly, from 40 to 50 cm per year, it matures and ages slowly. Grown from a seed, it begins to bear fruit at the age of 8-12, or even 15-20 years, and lives up to 75 years or more. Plants grafted and obtained from cuttings bear fruit earlier, after 4-5 years.

Origin of the name, history and use of the orange

The name of the fetus sounds different in different languages, and basically reflects its origin. So, in Holland it is "Appelsien", in Germany - "Apfelsine", "Appelsine" or "Sineser apfel", in France - "Pom de Sine". All these names are translated as "apple from China". The name "orange" adopted in Russian also comes from the German "Apfelsine".

Later in France, the fruit was called "orange", just like in England. This word is in English language from Spanish, in which the orange is called "naranja" from the Arabic "nareng". There is another name for the fruit, "portogalo", which is common in a number of southeastern European languages ​​\u200b\u200band literally means "Portugal". It reflects the fact that for a long time it was Portugal that was the main exporter of sweet fruits to other countries in the region. So or consonantly, oranges are called in Bulgaria, Greece, Romania and Macedonia, Iran, Iraq and Turkey. The name "portogallo" is considered obsolete, but is still used in Italy.

The plant is considered one of the oldest cultivated fruit trees in the world. The first description of an orange is found in the writings of the ancient Greek philosopher and naturalist Theophrastus as early as 350 years BC. The ancient Greeks met him during the campaign of Alexander the Great to India, where, as it is believed, the fruits were brought from China. According to most researchers, it is China that is the birthplace of the orange, but there is another opinion about its origin. For example, the famous Russian scientist Nikolai Vavilov considered India to be the birthplace of culture, from where it was later introduced to China. V Western Europe orange appeared only in the XV century, or rather, in 1548, when the Dutch brought an unfamiliar fruit from South China. In the Mediterranean, and especially in the southern part of the continent, this fruit tree appeared much earlier. So, after the liberation of the Pyrenees and Southern Italy from the Saracens in the 11th century, it turned out that orange trees were quite common in the gardens of local emirs and sultans; mention of them can be found in the poems of the famous Nizami, a classic of Persian poetry, dated as early as 1197.

Soon after the plant became known in the western part of Europe, it quickly spread throughout the Mediterranean coast, then came to Africa and South America, where it also took root perfectly and has been widely cultivated since then. In the territory Russian Empire oranges grew in Georgia, in the Batumi region, already at the beginning of the 18th century, and in the 19th century they began to be cultivated in the Sochi region.

Currently, the cultivation of oranges is put on an industrial basis, its volumes are increasing every year. Fruit production is an important part of the economy of countries with a subtropical and tropical climate, such as the United States, Brazil, Mexico, India and Pakistan, China, Iran and Egypt, as well as all Mediterranean countries. A little less is grown in Spain and Greece.

In Russia and the countries of the former Soviet Union due to climatic conditions, orange is less common, cultivated in the south of Ukraine, in the Crimea, in the subtropics Krasnodar Territory. To the north, it can only be found in greenhouses, or as a houseplant.

Producing countries export these valuable and popular fruits all over the world. They are easily spoiled, therefore they are removed from the tree unripe and, to prevent damage during transportation, they are packed in boxes of 200-500 pieces, with each fruit wrapped in unglued paper. In order to choose a quality product when buying, it is necessary to take into account that smaller and medium-sized oranges are sweeter and juicier, and those picked at the beginning of winter (end of November - December) last longer and have better taste. In addition, ripe fruits have a strong aroma and are much heavier than unripe ones.

Fragrant and tasty citruses can not only be bought in the store, but also grown independently. The orange tree has many varieties and some of them are suitable for home breeding in pots. It is important to know the rules of cultivation and care in order for the plant to be accepted and developed.

What does an orange tree look like?

This type of citrus fruit is a cultivated plant, and it was obtained by crossing a mandarin and a pomelo. The tree is evergreen with a compact dense crown. The description of the orange tree includes the following information:

1. Dimensions are directly related to the variety, so tall varieties reach a height of 12 m, and dwarf ones - 4-6 m. There are also indoor plants that can be from 60 cm to 2.5 m.
2. The root system is superficial, and it does not have hairs through which other plants receive moisture and useful material. Instead, at the tips of the roots there are special cases in which there are fungi that exist in symbiosis with the plant. They transfer moisture and nutrients.
3. The orange tree has dark green leaves that have a pointed oval shape. Inside them are glands filled with aromatic oil, which is identical to the flowers of this plant.

How does an orange tree bloom?

This plant has large bisexual flowers, which reach 5 cm in diameter. The color of the five petals is often white, but a reddish tint may also be present. In the center is a long single pistil, which is surrounded by stamens. yellow color. Flowers are collected in a brush of about 6 pieces, single options are rare. The flowering of the orange tree occurs only under certain conditions, and flower buds, laid in March-April, will open only at a temperature of 16-18°C. The blossoming bud falls off in 2-3 days.

How to grow an orange tree?

There are several varieties that can be used for indoor cultivation, and the following three options are most popular:

1. Pavlovsky. In height, this variety reaches a maximum of 1 m. It can be propagated using cuttings. The fruits ripen for a long time, during which it is important to provide special care.
2. Gamlin. If you are interested in how to grow an orange tree at home, then you can choose this variety, whose height reaches 1.5 m. The crop can be harvested in the fall, and the fruits are juicy and sweet-sour.
3. Washington Navel. The most popular variety that is suitable for home use. The height of an orange tree can reach up to 2 m. It is worth noting an interesting advantage - a pleasant aroma is released during flowering. The fruits can be harvested from the age of three. The fruits are large.

How to plant an orange tree?

In order to grow citruses on your windowsill, you need to prepare the seeds, which should only be fresh, that is, not dried.

1. Having collected planting material, be sure to rinse it, and then leave it for 8-12 hours in water so that they swell.
2. To get an orange tree from a stone, planting must be carried out in loose soil or peat. You need to deepen the seeds by 1 cm. Be sure to cover the container with a film or cover with glass to create a greenhouse effect.
3. Place the container in a shaded, warm place. Periodically water the ground and ventilate the plantings. Sprouts should appear after a month and a half.
4. After that, it is recommended to expose the container to the light (direct rays of the sun are dangerous). It is important to provide seedlings with a long daylight hours. To do this, you can use special lamps.

soil for orange tree

For the successful cultivation of this plant, the quality of the soil is of great importance. To do right choice Please consider these recommendations:

1. If you are interested in where an orange tree grows when it is still young, then it is better to choose this composition: 2 parts of turf and 1 part of leafy soil, humus and sand. Experts advise collecting sod land in gardens.
2. For an older tree, it is better to use such a soil composition: 3 parts of turf, 1 part of leafy soil, humus and sand. You can add some oily clay.
3. It is recommended to ensure that the selected soil has a pH of 6.5-7.
4. Be sure to remove all unnecessary impurities from the prepared soil, such as pebbles or roots of other plants.
5. The finished soil mixture must be left to mature for at least 14 days.

How to graft an orange tree?

When the plant begins to develop well, it will be possible to prune to form beautiful crown. After 6-8 years, flowers may appear, and the fruits are likely to be small and bitter, so it is important to vaccinate. In the instructions - how to grow an orange tree at home, there is a mandatory procedure that involves grafting a bud or branch of a cultural garden plant. It is better to carry out the procedure when the plant is already 1-3 years old.

How long does an orange tree grow at home?

The length of time a plant grows depends on proper fit and care. If you focus on natural conditions, then in the subtropics, 4 years should pass from planting seeds to the appearance of fruits. In order for an orange tree in a pot to begin to bear fruit, they are grafted and then after 3 years it will be possible to harvest. Life cycle this culture is approximately 75 years old.

How to care for an orange tree?

1. Lighting. The pot is best placed in a place with diffused lighting. In cold weather, it is recommended to use artificial lighting up to 12 hours.
2. Temperature. In summer, room temperature is also suitable, and in winter it is necessary to maintain indicators at the level of 10-18 ° C. It is important to regularly ventilate, but exclude drafts.
3. Humidity. For an orange tree, home care in hot weather includes daily spraying using soft, settled water. In winter, the air is dry, so increase the humidity by all means.

How to water an orange tree at home?

There are a few soil moisture tips to keep in mind:

1. They judge whether it is necessary to water according to the condition of the soil. It is important not to allow the earthen coma to dry out completely. To determine the moisture, squeeze a lump of soil, and if it crumbles, then water it.
2. To water a small orange tree, it is not recommended to use tap water because it contains a lot of alkali metal and chlorine. It should be boiled or you can take hot water from the tap.
3. The liquid must be settled for at least a day in open ground, which will remove chlorine. If possible, water is recommended to be taken from a well, lake or stream.
4. In winter, the orange tree is at rest, so the intervals between watering should be increased.

What to feed an orange tree?

For good growth, flowering and fruiting, it is necessary to fertilize in spring and summer, and this should be done once every two weeks. It is important to fertilize the day after watering. Fertilizers for an orange tree are poured in until it begins to flow out of drainage holes pot. You can use special additives designed for citrus fruits or take options for indoor plants.

Many will be surprised by the fact that adult plants, whose height is at least a meter, can be fed with fish broth once a month. It is believed that this can enhance fruiting. Take 200 g of fish waste or small fish (not salted), pour 2 liters of water and boil for 30 minutes. After that, the solution should be filtered and diluted with cold water.

Pruning an orange tree

When the height of the plant reaches 20 cm, it is recommended to pinch off 2-3 leaves from the top. Thanks to this, side branches will begin to develop, forming a beautiful crown. They are considered branches of the first order, and if you cut them off (4-5 branches of 20-25 cm each should remain), then branches of the second order will begin to form (their length is not more than 25 cm) and so on. Using this scheme, you can form an orange tree in the apartment to your liking. It is important that many branches of the fifth order form on the bush in a few years, since fruits will form on them.

How to transplant an orange tree?

It is better to carry out such a procedure in spring or autumn, when root system will not be subject to temperature shock. You can transplant the plant into a pot or directly into the ground. It is important to do everything carefully so as not to damage the root system.

1. Dig a hole right size. Adding soil improvers and compost is not recommended unless the soil is very sandy or clayey. Remove the homemade orange tree along with the clod by turning the flowerpot over and pre-moistening the ground. Install it in a hole, fill it with earth and tamp it down. Note that the top of the root ball should be 2.5-3 cm below the surrounding soil.
2. When choosing a pot, keep in mind that its size should be twice as large as the root ball. The process is similar to the previous one, that is, the orange tree should be transferred to a new container. It is impossible to carry out the procedure more than once every 2-3 years.

Diseases of the orange tree

This culture is affected by a large number of fungal diseases, but it is worth noting that weak plants that do not receive proper care. There are tips on how to save an orange tree:

1. Root rot appears due to excessive watering and stagnation of liquid in the pot. The disease develops imperceptibly until the moment when the leaves begin to fall intensively. In this case, the plant only needs to be transplanted, removing rotten roots.
2. Soot fungus appears on leaves and branches in the form of a black coating. It is removed and be sure to ventilate the room. It is recommended to reduce the intensity of watering.
3. Scab on an orange tree appears on the leaves in the form of dark bulges. As a result, they fall off, and the bark cracks. To remove the problem, you must use or other fungicides. Spraying is carried out in the spring or after flowering. It is important to remove diseased leaves and branches and burn them.
4. Wart provokes the formation of growths on the shoots, and on the leaves - gray warts. For the fight, you can use Bordeaux spray for spraying after wintering, flowering and in the middle of summer.
5. It is worth noting that a tree can be affected by almost all pests and appear more often than others. To fight you need to carry out spraying.

It first appeared in China over two decades ago. It was brought to Europe by the Portuguese, and today this popular citrus fruit can be found on the streets of many seaside cities with subtropical climatic conditions, both on our continent and on the American, Australian, etc.

Today it is fashionable to grow various exotic plants, including the orange tree, which will not only perfectly decorate any interior, but will also be fragrant, conveying its tart and pleasant smell.

And how pleasant it is to watch how it will grow, bloom and bear fruit! Just a little patience, a little effort - and the orange tree will more than thank the owner with lush color and delicious orange "balls".

The method of growing such a non-standard plant in the house, although not entirely simple, is possible. You just need to eat delicious fruit, select the bones from it, and then plant them in a small pot, which must be immediately placed in a warm, sunny place.

Once a day, you need to water the future orange tree, the care of which involves daily watering for rapid seed germination.

After about fifteen days, the first sprouts appear, on which, as a rule, there are one or two leaves.

When a tree about fifteen centimeters high is already growing in a pot, you need to think about transplanting it. To improve subsequent growth, experts advise transplanting the sprout into a deeper container.

It is very useful to periodically fertilize the soil, you can sometimes water the orange tree at home with ordinary tea leaves left over from tea.

Gradually, the exotic guest begins to gain height, and when she has already reached half a meter in height, you can tie her to some kind of peg stuck in a pot.

After waiting for the orange tree to finally get stronger, you can begin the grafting process, which is necessary for the plant to develop normally and bear fruit at home.

It must be remembered that the graft must be done from another tree that has repeatedly borne fruit. In order for the plant to develop normally and begin to delight with its orange fruits, it is necessary to organize artificial irrigation, as well as periodically feed it with special fertilizers, which are now widely sold in specialized stores. Moreover, such top dressing, according to experts, greatly improves the taste of fruits, which are somewhat bitter under indoor cultivation conditions.

However, lovers of home plants need to know that the orange tree is a rather whimsical plant that requires very careful care. And it is not a fact that it will delight its owner with fruits earlier than in ten years, and sometimes a tree may not bear fruit at all.

But there is no need to despair, especially since watching how the planted greenery grows and rises with my own hands a tree is a huge and incomparable satisfaction.

Growing an orange tree at home is not easy. An inexperienced gardener is unlikely to cope with such a task, especially if he sets himself the goal of obtaining a fruit-bearing plant. However, with some effort and taking into account the recommendations given in this article, it is quite possible to succeed. If you have never “taken into the house” citrus fruits, try to first bypass a purchased orange tree. If the experiment succeeds, you can start trying to enrich your garden with a plant grown from a stone.

What kind of orange is grown in the house

Of the citrus fruits intended specifically for indoor cultivation, three are especially popular:

1. Pavlovsky orange. It is low - a meter maximum. Quite fruitful, you can get additional specimens by conventional cuttings. However, the fruits ripen for a long time, up to nine months, during which the tree needs increased attention and careful care.
2. Gamlin. It will be taller - it grows up to one and a half meters. The fruits are juicy, sweet-sour, there are few seeds in them. Harvest should be expected in late autumn.
3. Washington Navel. The most beloved orange tree among home gardeners. Can grow up to two meters; below one mature plant can not be. An additional bonus - it smells charming during flowering, the hairstyle is able to bear fruit from the age of three. The fruits are quite large, up to a third of a kilogram.

It is advised not to buy a fruit-bearing orange tree: when changing residence, it may refuse to bear fruit for a couple of years. Let it already agree to “feed” you when it settles down.

How to choose the right place

In order for a homemade orange tree to agree to stay with you, you must first put it in a place that fully meets the needs of the plant. Light is needed - plentiful, but not too bright. The east and south sides are suitable if the tree does not stand close to the window. You can determine the desired distance by the state of the leaves. If the leaves begin to stretch and corrugate - you need to move closer, without waiting for the fall. If they begin to turn yellow, they should be moved a little further (although this rarely happens). An additional care should be to rotate the pot periodically so that the orange tree is exposed to the light on different sides, and the crown forms harmoniously. And in the summer it would be nice to take it out into the garden or onto the balcony.

Temperature

With regard to heat, you also need to be careful. If the temperature drops below 5 degrees, the orange tree may die. At high (25 and above), it will begin to grow actively, but will not even think of bearing fruit. It is desirable to maintain it in the range of 15-18 degrees. If ovaries have already appeared, vigilance can be weakened, just not to allow drying out. The southern tree will handle itself.

Accurate watering

In principle, the orange tree (photo) loves water. So in the heat you need to water and spray it daily. Water for these purposes should be not only settled, but also warm. However, heating it is not recommended. It is better to put it next to the pot ahead of time so that it is at the air temperature at the time of watering. During cold snaps and in winter, spraying stops, and watering is done in a day or two. With the volume of water like this: let less than more. The leaves twisted from water starvation will then straighten out, but the roots that have rotted from stagnant water cannot be saved.

A beautiful crown is not only for aesthetics

Since you have already understood the basic rules for growing an orange tree, now you need to figure out how to get it to bear fruit. And for this, the plant must have a formed crown suitable for reproduction. If this is not done, you can get a harvest only after a decade. Branches of the fifth order bear fruit. Therefore, in spring, branches longer than 10 centimeters are pinched and the lower leaves are torn off. So you get a branched tree with a uniform crown.

Such manipulations are carried out in the spring. Actions must be performed above the kidney, so that it is outside. Special attention given to shoots weakened, strongly elongated and growing inside the crown. And if the orange tree has grown strongly, above a third of a meter, with a weak development of lateral branches, the top is mercilessly cut off.

Transfer

The rule to replant houseplants annually does not apply to an orange tree. It should be relocated about once every three years. Young specimens can be transplanted after two, but not more often. This is done by transshipment, without crushing the roots. Particular attention is paid to drainage - its layer must be thick enough. And the movement must take place before the orange tree (photo) blooms. Moreover, this process is unacceptable when it already “feeds” the fruits.

Stimulation of fruiting

In order for an orange tree at home to bring you a crop, you will have to give it extra time. Without care on your part, its fruits will be small and bitter. There are two ways to improve their quality:

1. graft. If there is another tree that has already given fruit, small identical pieces are carefully cut out of the bark of both and swapped. So that the damaged place does not rot, it is wrapped with cellophane. The operation is quite dangerous for plants. If you are afraid of not coping - call a professional for help;
2. wintering in extreme conditions. Fruiting will begin somewhat later than with grafting, but much faster than without it. The orange tree is taken out into the cold (not excessive, so as not to freeze), stop watering and feeding. In such harsh circumstances, it must withstand at least a month. In the spring, he is again surrounded by care. Already in the third year after hardening, it will give flowers.

If the capricious nevertheless deigned to bloom, it can be pollinated - with an ordinary brush. However, if there are a lot of flowers, and the extra ones are plucked, then the fruits will appear even without pollination.

The bone will come in handy!

If you are suspicious of the copies offered in flower shops, you can try to grow an orange tree from a stone. To do this, go to the nearest supermarket and buy a ripe, rich color fetus. Its bones cannot be stored after being eaten, they must be planted immediately. The pot for the future tree is taken clay. Since it is not a fact that the selected bone will sprout, several should be placed in the container at once. In case of increased success, the trees can be planted in separate "apartments" later. The land is bought special, for citrus fruits - or it is assembled independently, from medium-sized sand, humus, leafy soil and turf - it is taken in three parts, all other components one at a time. The seed from which the orange tree should grow is immersed in the soil by two centimeters, after which the surface is sprayed with water, and the pot is covered with glass or wrapped in polyethylene. For a week, the container is placed in darkness and heat, and then moved to the windowsill (again, warm). Until sprouts appear, the shelter is not removed.